Burundi

*What is CHAT between WORLDS?*
CHAT between WORLDS combines global learning with digital media. The programme is designed to address the perspectives of various target groups living in Asia, Africa, Latin America, or Southeast Europe: School classes and individuals can exchange experiences with students in Germany through online communication. That way, CHAT between the WORLDS overcomes geographical distances and offers the opportunity for authentic and personal encounters. School classes of all school types with students from the age of 10 can take part.

*What does a virtual exchange look like?*
At CHAT between WORLDS, there are two forms of CHATs: peer-to-peer CHATs and expert CHATs. During peer-to-peer CHATs, children and young people get in touch with school classes in Germany. While during expert CHATs, professionals share their expertise with students in Germany online. Depending on time differences and local internet connections, the virtual exchange can take place via live stream or via video messages. Before each CHAT, participants are prepared for the CHAT topic using methods of Global Learning. Both the content of the exchange and the rules of conduct during the CHAT are drawn up in advance. Through question and answer sessions, the participants learn with and from each other. However, other forms of digital experiences are also possible: For example, a digital scavenger hunt, a jointly designed online pin board, or a cooking campaign across the globe. The common languages of the virtual exchange are French, English, Spanish or German.
After the CHAT, the participants reflect on the knowledge and impressions they gained during the CHAT. The students are encouraged to think about their own courses of action, plan their own projects and subsequently implement them independently.

*Who is organizing CHAT between WORLDS?*
CHAT between WORLDS is implemented by five civil organisations in seven federal states of Germany (Baden-Wuerttemberg, Brandenburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia). CHAT between WORLDs is coordinated by Engagement Global gGmbH with funds from the Ministry of economic Cooperation and Development.

HOPE’87 – Hundreds of Original Projects for Employment – is an Austrian non-profit initiative for the support of youth employment and youth training projects worldwide. It was founded in 1987 following the recommendations of the UN General Assembly and the UN Youth Year of 1985.

Young people are encouraged to show self-initiative and to realize their own ideas of small and medium scale projects, creating training and employment possibilities for themselves and other young people.

HOPE’87 supports young people through project implementation, technical assistance, know-how transfer and consultancy.

Difäm, the German Institute for Medical Mission, based in Tübingen, was founded in 1906. It is a specialized advisory center, medical relief organization and bearer of the Paul Lechler Clinic for Tropical Diseases. We provide support to development and relief organizations worldwide (for example: Brot für die Welt [bread for the world], social welfare work and disaster aid) for the implementation of health projects; we assist our local partners in planning their projects and offer them ongoing support.

Our doctors have run health programs in southern countries for years and can thus provide the necessary specialized knowledge. Our main goal is to establish a firm basis for sustainable health care by promoting basic health care services and home health care. With our seminars in public health and treatment of tropical diseases, we further the training of local health care specialists and of qualified personnel.

Difäm promotes and carries out projects that help patients suffering from disabilities or diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis, and leprosy. Our medical aid service provides indispensable medicine, medical tools and auxiliary materials etc. for partner clinics and health care stations in over 90 countries around the world. Our long-term goal, however, is to make these countries independent of foreign aid. For this reason, Difäm provides raw materials, tools and training for local personnel in order to support the local production of pharmaceuticals. In addition to providing direct aid, we are also active in political lobbying and public campaigns for the right to health care.

Traditionally, many strong, successful and efficient organizations, networks and initiatives are active in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. They are the main actors of development work. Therefore, the state development policy is characterized by the participation of the civil society. In February 2013, the state government approved the new Development Policy Guidelines (Entwicklungspolitische Leitlinien), which were developed through a participatory process that was at the time unique throughout Germany. Through the initiative “world:citizens consulted!” (Welt:Bürger gefragt!), more than 1,500 citizens from all over Baden-Württemberg as well as 120 organizations and associations actively helped defining these guidelines.

Even within the adoption of the Development Policy Guidelines the developing political dialogue is still undergoing. Every year citizens of Baden-Württemberg come together to the Annual Development Policy Conference to review the implementation of the Guidelines and work on new policy proposals. Furthermore, the Council for Development Cooperation (Rat für Entwicklungszusammenarbeit), which brings together experts from significant developmentally active networks, advises the government in development issues.

Development policy in Baden-Württemberg is especially challenging for the classic political core areas of the federal states: For example it concerns education policy when trying to incorporate Global Learning and Global Studying into the curricula of schools and universities, research efforts and university strategies for internationalization. It also relates to economic policy in the areas of public procurement, the promotion of foreign trade and Fair Trade, as well as environmental policy focusing on questions of ecological sustainability.

In Baden-Württemberg, development policy is a joint task that is primarily supported by the efficient and professional commitment of its civil society. The government of Baden-Württemberg promotes this commitment but does not wish to replace it. The federal state merely provides a reliable framework for advancing development policy and supporting its participants. The two foundations Development Co-operation Foundation (Stiftung Entwicklungszusammenarbeit) and Baden-Württemberg Foundation (Baden-Württemberg Stiftung) were established by the federal state of Baden-Württemberg to pro-mote, advice and support private and municipal initiatives. The Of-fice for Development Co-operation (Landesstelle für Entwicklungszu-sammenarbeit) in the State Ministry (Staatsministerium) is available to all citizens, civil society organizations, ministries, municipalities and to the Parliament of Baden-Württemberg (Landtag) as direct and competent governmental partner. The federal state supports civic initiatives in the field of development policy by providing funds.

Since 2013, together with the Federal Government, Baden-Württemberg promotes the One-World-Promoters program (Eine-Welt-Promotoren-Programm). Eleven full-time positions within host organizations of the civil society have already been created in order to support the valuable work of organizations, networks and initiatives in Baden-Württemberg. After the expiration of its pilot phase in 2015, Baden-Württemberg will continue to finance the program in 2017.

Every year, the “Fair Trade” exhibition (Messe FAIR HANDELN) provides a platform for the exchange of ideas, networking and joint initiatives to all active actors in Baden-Württemberg. With over 150 exhibitors, the fair has become a flagship project of the Fair Trade movement with impact far beyond Baden-Württemberg.